


Young, Dumb, and Filthy Rich

by serenityrose526



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band), Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, M/M, but mostly jokes, everyone is rich, everyone's pretty jaded
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-06-05 15:23:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15173603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenityrose526/pseuds/serenityrose526
Summary: They are the 1%. They have everything and nothing. They're young, dumb, and filthy rich.





	1. Opus 1 - Part 1 - The Families of Lee, Choi, Hong, Yoon, Wen, and Xu

**Author's Note:**

> everything is pretty wild. everyone's pretty wild. im going to have no money left after the comeback. and hoshi in leather pants is an intellectual decision thank you for coming to my ted talk.

Family: Lee  
Father’s Occupation: Director of the National Intelligence Service of the Republic of Korea  
Mother’s Occupation: Prosecuting lawyer of the most elite law firm in South Korea  
Child(ren): Lee Jihoon: 16 years old (Grade 11 at Seoul National Academy), Lee Seokmin: 16 years old (Grade 11 at Seoul National Academy), Lee Chan: 15 years old (Grade 10 at Seoul National Academy)

“Jihoon, breakfast is ready,” Dongho knocked lightly on the door. Jihoon swiftly picked up his black backpack and slid his iPhone X in his navy blazer. He checked his appearance in the mirror. His navy blazer with the proud school crest was tailored to fit his slightly smaller stature, but nonetheless exuded power. His proud pins from music, composition, student council, and math competitions glinted in the sunlight streaming in through the sky light. The gold buttons were polished and glinting with elegance. The trousers were recently pressed by Dongho, his caretaker. His gold and navy striped tie was expertly tied and there was not a hair out of place. Jihoon opened the door.  
“Thank you, Dongho,” Jihoon said before smiling tiredly.  
“Of course. Jonghyun and Youngmin are calling your brothers and they will be downstairs shortly,” Dongho relaid to Jihoon as the black haired sixteen year old walked down the ornate marble stairs to the front door. Dongho opened the large front doors to reveal a polished black Rolls Royce already out front. Jihoon sat in the back, Dongho placing his backpack in the trunk, waiting for his younger brothers, Seokmin and Chan, to come down.  
“Jihoon, after school, you have piano class with Mr Lau, then a piano rehearsal for the concert at 6:30. Afterwards, you are free,” Dongho read off of his phone as Seokmin and Chan opened the door to the car. Youngmin and Jonghyun placed the two brothers’ backpacks in the trunk and went back inside the mansion. Youngmin, Jonghyun, and Dongho took turns sending the three power children to school. The children’s mother had already left early to meet with a new client and the children’s father was on Jeju Island on a NIS official trip. Dongho quickly touched his ID on the column’s scanner for the iron gates to open. The car exited the driveway expertly, the tires crunching over orange and brown leaves on the road.  
“Seokmin, after school, you begin rehearsal for the school production until 7:00 PM. Do you have your script?” Dongho read off of the touchscreen installed on the car’s dashboard.  
“Yes, I remembered this time,” Seokmin said before breaking into a smile that he would suppress until 7:01 PM. Dongho smiled, calming down a little as Seokmin began chatting quietly with Jihoon.  
“Chan, school ends at 4:00 PM, but practice at the studio is at 4:20. Last time when you came out at 4:15, I got an anxious call from Youngmin at 4:25. He screamed something about seeing Angel Gabriel as he was driving because he was sure you two were to die then and there. I don’t really want to be a therapist for him again, so please get out on time,” Dongho read out for Chan before sighing.  
“Dongho, we all know that Youngmin is always somewhere feeling like he’s about to die. He spends too much time around me,” Chan fixed his comma style hair as he spoke bluntly.  
“Jesus Christ, is that why I always want to jump off a brick building whenever you walk in the room?” Jihoon said playfully before sighing dramatically and putting his head in his palms.  
“Why are you so mean? I’m not that terrible, am I?” Chan whined as he turned his head to the window.  
“Oh, please, I’m only joking, Channie. If anything, I only want to jump off a brick building when Soonyoung shows up,” Jihoon said before laughing, lightly shoving Chan. Seokmin was busy analyzing his script for this year’s musical production, Beauty and the Beast. Seokmin, as usual, gained the leading role as the Beast with, Sunyoung, the lead actress of their academy, gaining the role of Belle.  
“How’s the essay for Lit going? I saw your lights still on at 4 this morning,” Seokmin asked quietly, nudging at Jihoon. Jihoon lazily turned his head to his younger brother who started school a year early.  
“Almost done. Should be ready for the due date on Friday. Why were you up at 4?” Jihoon asked with his cat-like eyes briefly scanning his younger brother’s tired face.  
“Had to memorize my first scene’s lines. I didn’t have enough time last night because I had to finish the lab report for Bio, so Mr Jung doesn’t slaughter my average,” Seokmin responded before shaking his head. Jihoon ruffled Seokmin’s hair lovingly, knowing how hard his younger brother worked. Seokmin fixed his hair in the mirror before checking the time on his gold Rolex. 7:40 AM. The rest of the car ride was silent with Jihoon and Seokmin nodding off, while Chan was analyzing the video of the new choreography his team was learning. Soon, they reached the prestigious gates of Seoul National Academy. Dongho was required to show his ID as the boys’ driver. This was the kind of academy these boys went to. An academy of the most powerful children from all over Asia. 

 

Family: Choi  
Father’s Occupation: CEO of the CHWave Corporation  
Mother of Choi Sooyoung and Choi Seungcheol: deceased  
Mother of Choi Hansol: divorced  
Child(ren): Choi Sooyoung: 21 years old (liberal arts major at Oxford University), Choi Seungcheol: 17 years old (Grade 12 at Seoul National Academy), Choi Hansol: 15 years old (Grade 10 at Seoul National Academy

“Seungcheol, Hansol, we must leave now. Are you both ready?” Yunho asked, handing Seungcheol his blazer as Changmin held up Hansol’s for the younger to put on. Changmin was already starting to put away the dishes from breakfast.  
“Yes, I just need to grab my backpack. Is your’s in your room, Hansol?” Seungcheol was already half-way up the wooden stairs. Hansol looked up to catch the sun’s rays from the skylight and hummed a confirmation, while squinting.  
“I’ll get it for you,” Seungcheol yells from the top of the stairs. Seungcheol grabbed his maroon backpack and Hansol’s navy one. He stopped momentarily outside Sooyoung’s now vacant room. He sighed, remembering his sister’s loving nagging, but also her protective nature. She would come to almost all of his debate competitions and bought every single magazine with any picture from his shoots in them. Sooyoung would go to all of Hansol’s award ceremonies for his poetry. She would buy him chocolate whenever he couldn’t come up with anything for the monthly publishing. She would hold Hansol whenever he had nightmares. She visited Seungcheol every day when he was in the hospital after the accident. She raised the two along with Changmin and Yunho.  
“Seungcheol!” Changmin yelled from the front door. Seungcheol ripped his eyes from the familiar door and scrambled down the stairs to the lobby of the mansion. Yunho sighed from the driver’s seat as he saw Seungcheol ran out the door and to the Tesla.  
“That brother of your’s,” Yunho chuckled as Seungcheol chucked the two backpacks in the trunk and and hesitated to open the car door. He lost focus for a millisecond before snapping back. Changmin noticed a brief cloud in the obsidian haired boy. “Seungcheol, you okay?” Changmin walked over to open the car door. Seungcheol shook his head and nodded, pushing his uncertainty to the back of his head. .  
“Seungcheol, you know your schedule, right? At 5:00 PM you have a photoshoot with Mingyu in Hongdae. We should be home around 8 PM,” Yunho announced Seungcheol’s schedule to the eldest. Seungcheol nodded as he stared out the window.  
“Hansol, you have a meeting for the school promo video at lunch and Changmin will pick you up later today for a meeting with the editor at the magazine at 5:15 PM today. It shouldn’t go over 6:45 PM,” Yunho briefly looked in the mirror to catch Hansol’s eye as he finished Hansol’s schedule.  
“Got it. I hate meetings with the editors. The conferences are always so formal and I don’t get why we can’t just do it over the phone,” Hansol nodded and scrunched his nose at the thought of the long hour and a half in the glass conference room. Seungcheol laughed at ruffled his brother’s hair.  
“Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll love your new piece,” Seungcheol reassured the younger boy. He had a Calculus test today, he had to arrange which of the younger grade debaters would be sent to the regional competition, and he had to begin editing on his group’s new film for class. To say the very least, he was tired.  
“Hyung, you need to take better care of yourself. You literally nodded off during breakfast 9 times,” Hansol nagged the elder, which was interrupted by a sudden ringing of the phone from Seungcheol’s iPhone. Sooyoung.  
“Hi Sooyoung, how’s England right now?” Seungcheol put the phone on speaker as he picked up his elder sister’s call.  
“Cold. Rainy. Depressing. I want to die. I have so many essays to procrastinate and finally write,” Sooyoung groaned.  
“We all know you never procrastinate,” Hansol piped up, the ever existent one ear bud in, the other one hanging.  
“True, I just needed a reason to check up on my dumbass brothers. So, why you boys sound all gloomy and shit?” Sooyoung asked, while both boys could hear rapid typing in the back.  
“AP Calc test, have to decide which kids to send to the regional competition for debate, need to start editing new film project for class, and I have a photoshoot with Mingyu later, so I won’t get back until around 8 PM.” Seungcheol listed out for his workaholic sister, who hummed in response,  
“I have a Japanese project the teacher is explaining today, Java is kicking my ass, I have to be in the new school promo video, Law is just overall depressing, and I have to meet with editors today for this month’s edition” Hansol said dryly, as Seungcheol held the phone.  
“Well Cheollie, you’re gonna do fine on the exam, we all know you’re always at the top, and for the regional competition, only send who you think is ready for this kind of thing. Don’t send all of them or it will be a shit show. Can’t help with film. Never took it. Never wanted to take it. But I do know you’ll do great in your photoshoot. I expect a copy as soon as it comes out express mailed to me. And Hansol, Java kicks everyone’s ass. Law is always depressing and you should be happy you’re in the promo, more traction. Finally, I know you hate those meetings, but you go over layout and design. That way they know which colors to print, any patterns, and which font. It’s no fun, I’m sure, but it always looks good in the end. Send me this month’s edition, okay?” Sooyoung encouraged her two younger brothers.  
“Okay,” Hansol scowled, thinking of how long and boring the meeting will be. Yunho showed his ID to the security at the gates of Seoul National Academy and the gates opened. 

 

Family: Hong  
Father’s occupation: CEO of Ultimatum Aircrafts, specializes in aircrafts for the military and private companies  
Mother’s occupation: world renowned surgeon at Seoul National University Hospital  
Child(ren): Hong Joshua: 17 years old (Grade 12 at Seoul National Academy)

“Leeteuk, is my blazer back from the cleaners?” Hong Joshua asked, stepping carefully down the wooden stairs to the foyer of the Hong mansion. He was buttoning his cuff buttons as he walked to the dining room. The sleek modern feel of the house had resulted in very few family photos or souvenirs.  
“I placed it on your chair,” Leeteuk explained, placing an omelette, a bowl of fruit, and a croissant in front of Joshua’s chair.  
“Ah, thank you,” Joshua said graciously, sitting down and starting to eat, pulling out his phone to check for new emails. Most of them were Grade 8s asking for help with position papers for the upcoming Model UN conference. Joshua quickly read through 2 and commented on the papers as he was eating. Leeteuk sat down across from Joshua with his breakfast. Since the boy had been small, Joshua had spent most mornings alone with Leeteuk, so it became habit for Leeteuk to sit and eat with Joshua. Leeteuk came to love the boy like his own son, even though he was only 34 years old.  
“I’m sure you can put your phone down and eat properly for 5 minutes,” Leeteuk reminded him, staring at him a bit sternly, until Leeteuk’s own phone went off. The older man smiled at his phone before realizing he should put it away. Joshua smiled mischievously and placed his phone in his blazer pocket.  
“By the way, you have guitar lessons with Jae after school. We should be home around 5:20 PM,” Leeteuk read out the schedule from his phone.  
“Leeteuk, all the Grade 8s are asking for my help for their papers. Why don’t they ask Seungwan as well? She may be in a lower grade, but she has almost as many gavels as I do,” Joshua whined stabbing at his apple.  
“Just email a couple of the kids back and tell them to ask Seungwan because she is co-captain too. You’re obviously the champion of the school, but she’s your leading competitor, right?” Leeteuk advised between bites, checking the time.  
“I’m not the champion, but we’re usually on the DAIS together. She’s really a genius,” Joshua said as he pushed around his remainder of his breakfast. His phone’s alarm went off and Joshua immediately started putting away his plates. As he put his plates in the dishwasher, he paused and looked at Leeteuk.  
“By the way, who was texting you earlier? You seemed happy to get that text,” Joshua prodded mischievously at the elder.  
“Don’t start, Shua, it was just a group chat being stupid,” Leeteuk rolled his eyes, knowing where Joshua’s mind went.  
“I’m just saying. You’ve been by my side since I was 3 years old, don’t you want to do anything else other than cook, clean, drive, and protect some teenager?” Joshua commented as a joke, but Leeteuk could sense bitterness at the tail of his sentence.  
“Ey, don’t think that. I’ve been perfectly happy taking care of you for the past 12 years. You’re basically my own son. And if anything, you’re far from being just ‘some teenager’, Joshua,” Leeteuk smiled warmly and put an arm around Joshua.  
“You’re so right. You would be lost without me,” Joshua exclaimed before laughing. Leeteuk rolled his eyes as he grabbed his jacket and followed Joshua out to the Mercedes Benz out front. Leeteuk observed the brown haired boy in the passengers’ seat.  
“You look nervous. Test?” Leeteuk asked as he drove around the fountain located in the middle of the drive-way. Joshua sighed.  
“Yeah, Calculus and we’re doing a research project in physics,” Joshua murmured before groaning.  
“That’s terrifying. I’m sure if you have any issues, you can ask Seungcheol or that kid in Grade 11 with all of those awards, Seokmin. Didn’t he just travel to England for some science fair and win first?” Leeteuk suggested, carefully navigating the autumn filled roads.  
“I guess. I’m friends with Sunyoung and she’s in the musical with him, so she could ask him for me,” Joshua muttered absent-mindedly. After 5 minutes of silence, Joshua finally said something.  
“Can we go to Starbucks? I want an americano,” Joshua said before breaking into his famous smile that no one could say no to. Leeteuk sighed and simply told him to find the nearest branch.  
“You’re lucky you have that face,” Leeteuk rolled his eyes as Joshua told him the nearest address.  
“Nah, you just love me,” Joshua smirked as he mobile ordered his Americano.  
“Sureeee,” Leeteuk said unconvincingly.  
“Oh shut up,” Joshua muttered as they parked and Leeteuk left to pick up the younger’s drink. Joshua had actually ordered two americanos. One for him and one for Leeteuk. He would never be able to thank the elder man with dimples for everything he’s done for the American-born Korean. Leeteuk was back soon with the two drinks. He handed the teenager both drinks and got in the driver’s seat.  
“Here’s your liquid caffeine.”  
“That one’s for you,” Joshua handed the Americano to the elder, who flashed his lovable dimpled smile.  
“Thanks,” Leeteuk placed the drink in the holder before backing out and quickly driving to the gates of Seoul National Academy. Joshua sighed, but straightened his back a little as Leeteuk showed his ID. 

 

Family: Yoon  
Father’s Occupation: CEO of YBH Entertainment  
Mother of Yoon Jeonghan: divorced  
Child(ren): Yoon Jeonghan: 17 years old (Grade 12 at Seoul National Academy)

“Jeonghan! Your manager called. He said you have a photoshoot with Junhui tomorrow at 5:30 PM at the ELLE magazine studio,” Heechul yelled from the bottom of the stairs. Heechul knew the young model since Jeonghan was 6 years old. He had taken care of him as soon as he stepped foot in the lofty mansion, despite Heechul’s lack of experience and overall immaturity.  
“Okay!” Jeonghan yelled from his room. He had just finished styling his hair and was packing his laptop in his backpack. His phone lit up with new group chat notifications. 

Cheol: Please tell me you’ll remember to bring the memory card or I will lose my actual shit  
Jeonghan: Okokokokok I will  
Cheol: One tumbler of bleach  
Jeonghan: I can’t convince Heechul that the extra tumbler has contents that won’t kill us  
Cheol: WE’RE FAILING FILM THO  
Jeonghan: Cheol… listen to me an 91 IS NOT A FAIL and Heechul is pretty sure that we hate life so he hid all of our bleach  
Cheol: Dammit  
Shua: I told you not to take AP Film  
Cheol: HAH AND TAKE AP PHYSICS???!  
Shua: That’s dirty you know i didn’t have a choice  
Cheol: I tOld yOU noT To TaKe aP phYsIcS  
Shua: That is a completely different subject than Film and the head of the dept basically guilt tripped me into taking it  
Jeonghan: Can we talk about how my detergent cabinets are CHILD PROOFED  
Shua: LEETEUK LOCKED THE DETERGENT AWAY BECAUSE HEECHUL TOLD HIM TO  
Cheol: Hello i am sad  
Shua: No one cares  
Shua: Mr Han assigned so much homework  
Cheol: Thats yOUR issue because I’m pretty sure Ms Liu is going to FAIL US IF YOU DONT BRING THE GODDAMN MEMORY CARD  
Jeonghan: I SHITTING TOLD YOU I WOULD BRING THE GODDAMN MEMORY CARD JESUS CHRIST  
Shua: Cheol shut up I have incessant nagging from Seungwan about Grade 8s don’t kill yourself  
Cheol: YEAH I WILL IF WE DON’T START EDITING TODAY  
Jeonghan: Please Ms Liu loves me she won’t kill me at least  
Shua: I’m surviving on 2 hours of sleep and i hope i die in the next 19 and a half minutes  
Shua: I’ll see you at school :D

Jeonghan let out a small laugh and threw his phone in his blazer pocket. Joshua and Seungwan always looked like they wanted to bang their heads on the wall after MUN meetings. Grade 8s are always so hopeful… It’s almost funny how hard they’ll hit the Grade 9 wall. Jeonghan shakes his head as Heechul shrieks his name.  
“Yoon Jeonghan! Your food will be cold! Come down here now! If you’re trying to open the cabinets, stop it!” Heechul screamed from the bottom of the marble stairs.  
“I’m coming!” Jeonghan screamed back, slinging his backpack on his shoulder and scrambling down the stairs. He dropped his Prada backpack at the door and plopped down at the table.  
“You’re no fun, Heechul. We wouldn’t actually kill ourselves,” Jeonghan whined, downing a cup of milk.  
“Oh yeah, I know, but Leeteuk would not shut up about the suicide rates especially with the SATs. The only way I could get him to shut up was to say I would hide the detergent. He even made sure to check. Besides, if you died on my watch, your parents would like kill me and I would have no paycheck,” Heechul rolled his eyes and spoke mindlessly before realizing he had released a piece of information. Jeonghan’s head shot up like a lemur and stared down the older man.  
“And why was he over?” Jeonghan could feel the corners of his mouth turning up. He knew Heechul’s preferences and honestly couldn’t help butting in the elder’s romantic endeavours.  
“Uh, hah, you know, I just told you, the bleach and you don’t care about your parent’s killing me?” Heechul put on a fake smile, distracting himself with sausages and eggs.  
“Not really, but his inspection would only take 5 minutes and he could ask for pictures. Are you sure he wasn’t over for some other reason?” Jeonghan prodded the man, his spidey senses completely on.  
“He really wanted to make sure about the bleach and wanted me to show him how to do my recipe for carbonara,” Heechul provided an explanation, staring at his phone, hoping it will go off.  
“Are you sure you weren’t doing something else?” Jeonghan drilled Heechul, taking a sip of a mango smoothie.  
“What would that be?” Heechul’s scoffed, going on Instagram.  
“I don’t know. Maybe, him?” Jeonghan stared Heechul down.  
“YOON JEONGHAN!” Heechul screamed, heat rising to his cheeks.  
“I knew it! I’m telling Joshua that you’re screwing Leeteuk!” Jeonghan squealed excitedly, whipping his phone out.  
“You will not! We didn’t do that!”  
“Oh really? Then what did you do?” Jeonghan’s finger was hovering over the send button.  
“We just went out to go grocery shopping and then we came back and made lunch,” Heechul’s innocent words spilled from his mouth.  
“Tell me there was a kiss involved,” Jeonghan’s thumb was moving closer and closer to the button.  
“I mean ya boy got some,” Heechul finally surrendered and let his cheeky side come out.  
“Nice, nice, nice, I always knew you would get him. Can’t wait to tell the group chat,” Jeonghan winked, his fingers typing at lightning speed. Heechul sighed.  
“We always suspected it and we’re happy you guys are happy. I just have a different way of showing it. C’mon, you love me,” Jeonghan teased and gave Heechul a toothy smile. Heechul laughed and rolled his eyes.  
“You are always going to be like this,” Heechul asked before taking a bite of his breakfast.  
“There’d be no fun in life if I wasn’t here,” Jeonghan pointed out matter of factly, checking his messages and emails. They ate in silence for the rest of the meal and quickly rushed out the door to the Volkswagen waiting out front. As soon as Jeonghan threw his backpack in, his phone rang.  
“Good morning, Yesung,” Jeonghan greeted his manager politely. Yesung reciprocated the greeting.  
“I trust Heechul told you about the photoshoot? I’ll meet you at the site tomorrow,” Yesung asked with the sounds of frying in the background.  
“Yes, sir. Are you making breakfast?” Jeonghan asked as Heechul winked in the mirror to Jeonghan. The seventeen year old always remembered his manager could not cook for shit.  
“Uh, no, my, uh, boyfriend, Ryeowook, is,” Yesung stuttered out and Jeonghan could practically see the blush creeping onto the older, but still good looking man. Jeonghan had seen Ryeowook, the petite main vocal of boy group royalty, at other gatherings for the company, but this was the first time Yesung introduced him with a title.  
“Hi Jeonghan,” Ryeowook’s lighter voice could be heard from the kitchen.  
“Tell him I say hi. I’m on the way to school, so I gotta die. Bye,” Jeonghan hung up after Yesung said his goodbye.  
“I hope you remembered the memory card,” Heechul reminded the young man, turning a left with the school gates looming over the horizon.  
Jeonghan scoffed, held up the card between two fingers, like how he held his black card, and knocked his head against the glass window. Heechul let it slip and showed his ID. 

 

Family: Xu  
Father’s Occupation: co-CEO of WX Corporation  
Mother’s Occupation: Physics professor at University of Science and Technology of China  
Child(ren): Xu Minghao: 15 years old (Grade 10 at Seoul National Academy)

Family: Wen  
Father’s Occupation: co-CEO of WX Corporation  
Mother’s Occupation: published and decorated psychologist  
Child(ren): Wen Junhui: 16 years old (Grade 11 at Seoul National Academy)

“Junhui! Did you just come back from walking Chen Chen?” Minghao screamed from the top of the stairs when hearing the front door close.  
“Yeah?” Junhui yelled back, taking off his sneakers and Chen Chen’s collar.  
“Okay! Just checking!” Minghao hollered before running off. Junhui rolled his eyes and pet Chen Chen’s head.  
“Aye, Junhui! What are you doing? You have 10 minutes to change and get ready. Get your ass up the stairs,” Henry came running out of the kitchen and immediately began kicking Junhui up the stairs.  
“That is literally abuse!” Junhui yells, running away from the shorter man. Henry shakes his head and walks back to kitchen to continue doing nothing while Zhoumi cooks everything.  
“You know, you could maybe, I don’t know, HELP FOR ONCE? That would be really nice,” Zhoumi smiled, pan frying the eggs.  
“Oh god, I hear Junhui asking for help. Better go,” Henry scrambled out of the kitchen and up the stairs, knocking frantically on the sixteen year old’s door.  
“Open up. Zhoumi wants to beat me,” Henry slams on Junhui’s door. A groan echoes through the halls and Junhui throws open the door.  
“Why do I even keep you around?” Junhui rolls his eyes and continues knotting his tie.  
“Because I fucking wash everything and am basically your personal assistant, driving you to all your photoshoots, which reminds me that you have one tomorrow with Jeonghan. So… fix that ugly,” Henry smirks before getting pummeled by the 182 cm man.  
“Hey! Do you want me to do that tie for you or not?” Henry knew the younger boy had trouble with ties. Junhui rolled his eyes, though the shorter and older man vexed him, he knew Henry had his best interests in sight. He heard Minghao lug his dance bag and school bag down the stairs. The two lived together ever since their parents sent them to the academy. They had known each other since Minghao was born, as Junhui was a year older. Their parents thought they might die living alone, so they arranged for Minghao and Junhui to live together.  
“When’s practice today?” Minghao dropped all of his bags with a thud on the hardwood floors.  
“Should be at 4:20. Please make sure you come out on time. I don’t want to break 34 different laws to get you there on time so you don’t get a scolding,” Zhoumi sighed, setting the table.  
“Don’t exaggerate,” Minghao smiled and teased.  
“No, I counted,” Zhoumi retorted, smiling before rolling his eyes. Henry and Junhui came rolling down one after the other, chaos following wherever they went.  
“I’m going to die in Physics today, I swear. Calculus is today too,” Junhui made a disgusted face at his sunny side up egg.  
“I have Textiles and Design first block and she’s opening a year long project. Ms Song just told us, ‘You might die, but whatever, it’s pretty fun for me’ and Human Geo 10 is whipping me,” Minghao slipped from Korean to Mandarin. It happened often with 4 Chinese men living in the same house with Henry switching between several languages. Chen Chen started wandering around and whining.  
“Shit, I didn’t put out food for Chen Chen,” Henry pushed his chair out and ran to the kitchen to get Chen Chen’s bowl ready. Zhoumi relaid Minghao’s after school schedule to him when Henry walked in. Junhui looked at him expectedly.  
“What? Oh, oh, okay. You should have a yearbook meeting at lunch. Oh yeah, don’t be late coming out to the pick up roundabout. You have a meeting with your company from 5 PM to 6, at the latest.,” Henry sighed, pushing his food around. Junhui nodded and quickly downed his tea, putting his dishes in the sink, and going back upstairs to fix his hair before leaving. He put some pomade in his hands and ran it through his hair. He stared his reflection in the mirror. He should be sleeping more. The makeup artists were always complaining about his eye bags. He groaned. He enjoys being a model. Junhui loves seeing his name in bold or seeing his face on monitors or magazines. He likes knowing that he can take everyone’s breath away with one photo or walking the runway with everyone’s eyes on him. He is incredibly grateful for his opportunities. There were just too many people who were easily 5X as handsome or alluring and he was scared he would never measure up to them. Junhui sighed. He knew it would happen. He splashed cold water on his face and smiled in the mirror. The smile was stunning as usual but it lacked something. There was something that felt different. Junhui shut his eyes and opened them again. He locked eyes with himself and smiled again. Perfect. Just right for the cameras. He tightly gripped the bathroom door handle and opened it gingerly, walking down the stairs quietly. He heard Minghao and Zhoumi outside in the driveway and ran out to join the two. Henry threw him his blazer and he shrugged it on. He caught his reflection in the car window. Seoul National Academy’s crest was on his heart with photography and film pins brandishing his lapels. He looked away and opened the car door.


	2. Opus 1 - Part 2 - The Families of Boo, Kwon, Jeon, and Kim

Family: Boo  
Father’s Occupation: CEO of Alliance Insurance  
Mother’s Occupation: Marketing manager of Louis Vuitton  
Child(ren): Boo Seungkwan: 15 years old (Grade 10 at Seoul National Academy)

“I’m telling you right now if you don’t pick me for your partner for the rest of the year for physics I’m going to fuck you up,” Seungkwan muttered into the phone.  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Hansol responded sleepily. It was 7:15 AM and Seungkwan was talking to one of his best friends as he was using a flat iron on his hair.  
“I’m not fucking with you Choi. If I get paired up with Dahyun one more time I’m literally transferring to boarding school. She’s great but she’s so happy and positive it’s almost contagious,” Seungkwan frowns and winces, almost burning his finger.  
“Think about how I feel. Yuto is really nice and smart but also he spends a lot of time talking to Yuta. I accidentally called Yuta, Yuto, and Yuto, Yuta, which ended up with everyone getting more confused” Hansol groaned and Seungkwan could hear Changmin pestering him about Hansol’s uniform. Seungkwan heard a yell for him.  
“Okay, I gotta go, but when Mr Lee asks for partner sign ups, write my name down,” Seungkwan said before hanging up and unplugging his flat iron. He quickly spritzed hairspray all over and ran down the stairs with his backpack. His mother was giving her luggage to her driver to put in the trunk of the Porsche.  
“Seungkwan! I wanted to remind you before I left to not burn the house down. Listen to Kyuhyun. Remind Kyuhyun to not burn the house down or to injure you or himself,” Seungkwan’s mother held her son’s face in her hands. Seungkwan nodded and smiled brightly at his mother.  
“Okay, I’ll be in France for a week and then in New York for 2 weeks. Call me whenever you need me,” Seungkwan’s mother’s eyes shined as she looked at her 15 year old son. She felt guilty she was missing yet another singing competition but she needed to leave for this business trip. She pressed a kiss to Seungkwan’s forehead and hugged him.  
“Mom, you really need to get to the airport,” Seungkwan said before laughing. His mother nodded and got in the Porsche, looking out at her son. She gave him a smile and he waved as she left the driveway.  
“Come on, Seungkwan, breakfast is ready,” Kyuhyun tried to smile as gently as possible, knowing the kid had a soft spot for his mother. Seungkwan nodded, following the brown haired man to the table. There were smoothies for both Kyuhyun and Seungkwan plus other breakfast foods on the table. Seungkwan stared at the food when it hit him.  
“I’ll pick you up at 4:30 for another vocal lesson with Mr Lee, got it? Are you even listening?” the 30 year old man said before sighing exasperatedly.  
“Kyuhyun, my competition is tomorrow,” the younger’s eyes widened to the point of him looking like a goddamned fish. Kyuhyun nodded, ripping apart some bread.  
“I’m literally going to lose. I’m not ready at all,” Seungkwan felt panic and dread course through his veins. He groaned and put his cheek on the table before sighing.  
“Jesus Christ, Seungkwan, you say that every single competition and you rake in a trophy basically each time,” Kyuhyun rolled his eyes, but meant well. He knew Seungkwan was a sensitive kid, but he had been exposed to Kyuhyun’s snarkiness for over 8 years, so he’d grown used to it.  
“I only get lucky though. What if I don’t get a trophy this time?” Seungkwan tried to pull at his hair before remembering how long it took for him to style it.  
“We’ll see. I can’t promise you will win, but I can promise that we’ll always get chicken afterwards and we’ll listen to Wonder Girls on the car ride home, okay?” Kyuhyun said calmly, getting up and walking by Seungkwan with his plates in one hand and the other hand on Seungkwan’s shoulder.  
“You’re talented. Trust me. I know talent,” Kyuhyun said in his naturally soothing voice, when it wasn’t screaming. Seungkwan sighed and petted his sideburns down.  
“Shit, it’s already 7:40, we have to go,” Seungkwan checked his phone and quickly scarfed down what was left of his breakfast. He left the dishes on the table and ran out to the second Porsche that was safely stored in their spacious garage. He jumped in the passengers and waited for Kyuhyun to sit down in the front with his routine sigh. Most of the ride was quiet, with minimal traffic. As they were nearing the gates, Seungkwan tore his attention from vocal warm ups.  
“Do you think she’ll ever come to a competition?” Seungkwan stared out at the scattered leaves, dragging along the ground with every gust of wind.  
“I believe your parents always try their best to come support you,” Kyuhyun said, looking straight ahead, his gaze hardening. He knew the truth. Though Seungkwan’s mother tried her very best for him, she never could make it to most of his competitions. The last time she was present for a performance was when he was 11 years old, usually only being present for the award ceremony, if at all. He loved the 15 year old like Seungkwan was his own brother. He was always present for performances and for awards. He always kept his vow of chicken after every competition and Wonder Girls, no matter what the outcome was. The last time Seungkwan didn’t make it to semi finals in a competition, the kid beat himself up about it for 3 straight weeks. Only Seungkwan’s best friends could cheer him up, mainly Hansol, as the Choi kid lived a five minute walk away. Seungkwan hasn’t come home without a trophy for the past 4 years. Coincidentally, that was the competition when his mother finally came to a performance. But it was also the competition when Kyuhyun couldn’t make it. As for Seungkwan’s father, he was practically always overseas, as the Insurance company was looking to expand. He looked up quickly in the mirror to catch a glimpse of Seungkwan’s eyes growing a softer, sad look.  
“Hey kid, your mother tries her best. I admit she’s almost too crazy busy to be a parent, but she loves you. Just remember that she’s proud of you and I will always come and listen to the hundreds of kids who will never be close to being as good as you just so I can hear 4 minutes of you wowing the crowd,” Kyuhyun said softly before lowering his window to show his ID. Seungkwan quickly glanced at Kyuhyun and quietly muttered, “Thanks… Thank you. I couldn’t do anything without you.”  
Kyuhyun made a sound of acknowledgement and Seungkwan got out of the car, joining his three friends waiting out at the grand doors of the Academy.  
“I wonder if any of us can make him realize we love him more than everything,” Kyuhyun mutters before quickly peeling out of the driveway, recognizing Heechul’s car behind him. He’ll have to remember to call that thot later. 

 

Family: Kwon  
Father’s Occupation: Film Director belonging to YBH Entertainment  
Mother’s Occupation: Former supermodel and current CEO of LW Modelling Agency  
Child(ren): Kwon Yuri: 21 years old (medical sciences major at Oxford University), Kwon Soonyoung: 16 years old (Grade 11 at Seoul National Academy)

“Soonyoung! Soonyoung! SOONYOUNG!” Donghae was banging both of his fists against the film mogul’s son’s bedroom door. A groan was heard from within. A couple of objects crashing and several curses escaped the room.  
“I’m up!” Soonyoung shouted back, his voice laden with grogginess. Donghae heard the sounds of running water and finally retired to the kitchen to make sure nothing was set on fire. Donghae heard Soonyoung’s mother say her farewells to her son. She quickly ran in the kitchen, grabbed a banana, and uttered a goodbye to the 32 year old man.  
“Thank you, Donghae! You’re amazing!” Soonyoung’s mother and current CEO of LW Modelling Agency said in a flurry, running to the garage to get in her Mercedes.  
“No… problem, Mrs,” Donghae said his voice dying off as he knew she could not hear him anymore. This family was the craziest thing he’s ever experiences. 

Wonwoo: Ms Chan is literally trying to make me lose all of my sanity with these essays  
Mingyu: When isn’t she  
Jihoon: We’re in the same Lit class mmk  
Wonwoo: Should the entire class just call in sick on the due date  
Junhui: I mean do you want to be shanked  
Wonwoo: Jihoon she’s asking for the absolute impossible  
Wonwoo: How the fuck am I supposed to bullshit some 4000 word essay about the possible connections of Sigmund Freud’s theories and the text  
Jihoon: Sparknotes doesn’t even help now  
Jihoon: Schmoop is out too I’m fleeing the country  
Soonyoung: I’m suddenly so glad that I have Mr Jung for Lit  
Jihoon: Shut the fuck up  
Mingyu: I have a ps with Seungcheol later today so i’ll have to skip bbt  
Soonyoung: Ugh screw you and your job why can’t you have some sugar  
Mingyu: I can’t be bloated for it man  
Seokmin: Don’t you have practice with Chan later today?  
Soonyoung: Fuck me in the asshole  
Soonyoung: I’m so dead theres this comp coming up and it’s original choreographies so I spent 5 hours yesterday trying to come up with the last minute of the song but nothing stuck  
Seokmin: Who are you putting on the team  
Soonyoung: Probs Chan, Minghao, me, and Samuel  
Seokmin: It’s a surefire win then dw  
Jihoon: Dude I just remembered that I have rehearsal tonight then the concert is in 3 days  
Seokmin: We’re coming  
Mingyu: Ye  
Wonwoo: Will do if Sigmund doesn’t make me bash my head against the wall  
Soonyoung: Should we get the poster ready now maybe the words “Jihoon is my one and only”  
Junhui: I’ll go if Chen Chen stops trying to get me hit by goddamn cars jesus christ  
Jihoon: You don’t have to and if you show up with a poster i will personally kick you out  
Junhui: Nah I’m free-ish I mean not really but why die at home when I can die in a concert hall amirite or amirite  
Wonwoo: What’s not to love about a public death  
Mingyu: Gtg boys forgot to do my Calc hw and it is first block  
Junhui: He’s getting slaughtered by Mr Kang

Soonyoung dries his hair as his uniform shirt hangs loosely on him, unbuttoned. He can feel his eyelids lowering but he forces himself to stay awake. The dark circles around his eyes had worsened and he was sure he was closer to looking like a ghost than a 16 year old boy, but then again it’s high school, so it’s normal… right? Soonyoung unplugged his hair dryer and set it away. Donghae knocked on the door as Soonyoung buttoned his shirt.  
“Come in,” Soonyoung said, tucking his shirt in his pants as he walked to his tie hanger.  
“I was coming to tell you breakfast’s ready,” Donghae said softly. He noticed the younger’s fumbling hands trying to knot his tie.  
“Let me help you,” Donghae said caringly, focussing on the article of clothing. He noticed the 16 year old having deeper eye bags than usual.  
“Do you want to stay home?” Donghae asked softly, adjusting the tie lovingly. Soonyoung shook his head.  
“I shouldn’t miss class. Mr Jung will lose his mind more than usual if I don’t show up,” Soonyoung smiled cheekily but Donghae could tell something was off.  
“Everything will be fine, okay?” Donghae pushed back the dancer’s hair. Soonyoung gave a nod and smiled, knowing he would probably die if it weren’t for the elder male. He gave the 32 year old a quick hug and picked up his dance bag and backpack.  
“Let’s eat our food or I will literally eat my wallpaper,” Soonyoung said as he descended to the spacious front room of their mansion, feeling his stomach tear at his innards. As soon as they sat down, Donghae questioned the boy.  
“What time did you sleep at?” Donghae asked, watching Soonyoung stuff food in his cheeks.  
“Like 3 or something,” Soonyoung mumbled out between bites, shrugging. Donghae raised his eyebrow, knowing for certain the teenager did not.  
“Okay, like 4 AM? Wasn’t much help in the end. Couldn’t even finish the choreo let alone my essay. I have to bull shit it tonight,” Soonyoung rolled his eyes before taking a gulp of coffee. Donghae shook his head. The kid had pretty good grades and a stellar track record with dance. Like his friends, his parents usually weren’t present for anything. Donghae had taken on the role of older brother and parent since the kid was 7 years old.  
“I can’t even nag you because all of your friends are crazy busy like you,” Donghae sighed, swirling his cup of coffee.  
“Junhui and Mingyu have photoshoots every other week and walk a runway every so often. Jihoon has pages of sonatas practically forming a mini prison around his piano that he has to learn for concerts and performances. Plus the shortie takes contemp music so he’s always at his soundboard or his keyboard. Wonwoo has like one foot in the publishing office for his next essay and one foot out the window, ready to go. Seokmin has suicidal rehearsal schedules for the musical and his science competitions. Don’t even get me started on Jihoon and Seokmin’s parents. They’re crazy,” Soonyoung ranted for his friends, stabbing his food aggressively.  
“I’ve never talked to them before. I’ve seen them at gatherings, but I mostly spend my time trying to make sure you and your friends don’t hang yourselves with your ties or something,” Donghae admitted before taking a bite of a peach.  
“You don’t want to talk to them. They’re crazy genius in good and terrible ways. They’re good at like the law and shit. But if it weren’t for Youngmin, Jonghyun, and Dongho, their kids would be dead for sure. They’re terrifying. I was literally in the room when their mom came in and slapped Jihoon across the face for not placing first in a piano comp. This was when we were 9, by the way. He was crying and Wonwoo and I were with him, trying to be good friends and console his ass. His mom had just come home and Youngmin was trying to explain to his mom why he was in a low mood. She lost her literal shit. Batshit crazy. She started yelling some fucked up shit about being trash at him. Dongho ran in, picked up Jihoon, and led Wonwoo and me out. He pushed us into one of the cars and drove us away. All I remember is Jihoon crying for a long time. He was always a tiny kid but he was crumpled like a little paper ball on Wonwoo and mine’s laps. After that, he passed out for a while,” Soonyoung shook his head at the painful memories. He remembered how much it hurt to hear such awful things about his best friend. He remembered how Wonwoo’s face was trembling as if he was the one getting hit. Donghae placed a supportive hand on Soonyoung’s shoulder.  
“I mean, Jihoon has always been kind of weak, in terms of health. He gets sick very easily and when he overworks himself, stuff happens,” Soonyoung admitted quietly, rubbing his tired face in an effort to energize himself.  
“You’re a good friend, Soonyoung. You look out for your friends. That’s very commendable,” Donghae said, his warm eyes glancing at the teenager as he cleared the table.  
“Wonwoo cried so much that day. He didn’t understand why it had to be like that. He has always been so protective of all of us. Mingyu too. That’s commendable,” Soonyoung corrected Donghae.  
“You have good friends. All 6 of you are genuine. That’s hard to find now,” Donghae commented, grabbing the keys to the Maserati in the spacious garage. Soonyoung nodded.  
“Genuine… Are we sure anyone was ever genuine?” Soonyoung muttered, picking his bags up and heading to the entrance of the garage.

 

Family: Jeon  
Father’s Occupation: CEO of JE Group. (parent company to over ⅔ of the country’s publishing companies)  
Mother’s Occupation: Pediatric surgeon at Seoul National University Hospital  
Child(ren): Jeon Wonwoo: 16 years old (Grade 11 at Seoul National Academy)

“Eric! I can’t find my pants!” Wonwoo ran to the laundry room, frantically searching.  
“I put them in your study!” Eric yelled from the dining room. Wonwoo ran to the adjoining room of his bedroom and found the freshly pressed pants on his black leather swivel chair. He quickly put on his uniform pants and pushed his circle glasses up. Wonwoo quickly hobbled to the bathroom to put a bit of product in his hair before knotting his tie. He flipped his bangs to the left and checked his appearance in the mirror. He was meeting with the essay judges later after school to hand in his paper and give a brief summary. Jeon Wonwoo looked his reflection in the eyes. He wanted to win. No. He needed this win. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair and threw himself down on his bed. Who was he kidding? He was against Bae Joohyun, the all round star of the school. She’s been published at least twenty-three times in the past 5 years. Wonwoo was only published fifteen times for his writing pieces. Eric walked in to check on the 182 cm teenager.  
“Yo Wonwoo. Come eat breakfast,” Eric began pulling the Jeon’s only son’s leg off the bed.  
“I don’t want to do this today. Joohyun will probably win anyway,” Wonwoo sat up and pulled at his hair. Eric sighed and sat next to the taller boy.  
“Please, I read your paper. It’s better than what I could write when I was doing my bachelor’s. Don’t think about your competition. It’s possible that your classmate’s paper could be amazing. But, it’s also very possible that your paper is better. Plus, writing is all subjective to the judges. Push it out of your head. I know you know your paper is good. So stop pulling at your hair because now it’s all messed up again,” Eric clapped the sixteen year old on the back. Wonwoo nodded, trying to fix his hair. Eric rolled his eyes.  
“Man, let me do it,” Eric pulled the tall boy to the bathroom. He quickly fixed the boys hair and reminded him to come down for breakfast quickly. Wonwoo placed the folder with the four copies of his paper in his backpack, double checking, and finally went down to breakfast. Wonwoo placed his backpack at the door to the garage.  
“Did my dad already leave for the US?” Wonwoo asked, sitting down and immediately shoving food in his mouth.  
“Yeah, your mom is at a conference in England for the rest of the week,” Eric nodded in confirmation, already onto his staple second cup of coffee for the day. Wonwoo scoffed.  
“Not much difference if they’re in the country or not,” Wonwoo muttered, shrugging. Eric nodded. Being part of this family meant giving up part of your own life. Eric had given away part of his life for Wonwoo. All of the caretakers of the students of SNA shared this commonality. They even became close friends with each other and had a group chat. There was an air of respect around all of them. They weren’t mere nannies. They were the ones raising and protecting these kids as many of their parents didn’t have time or just didn’t care for anything except the awards the kid could rake in. They were basically the guardians of these children.  
“How’s Seokmin?” Eric decided to change the topic, knowing that Wonwoo had neither contempt nor good words about his parents.  
“Rehearsal started. His parents are still the same,” Wonwoo sighed, looking at his steaming cup of coffee  
“Ah,” Eric said before taking a sip of his coffee.  
“His parents… I don’t know. They want Seokmin to act dignified, I guess, so they train him to be so different. At events, I sit with them and Seokmin is so foreign. He never laughs and is so serious, only talking about school, business, or politics. In private, Seokmin is loud and stupid and talks about the dumbest shit,” Wonwoo’s eyes grew darker as he spoke of his friends’ situations. Eric nodded and thought for a couple minutes as Wonwoo ate.  
“I know you’ve heard this but you shouldn’t get involved. Be polite to their parents and support your friends. If you get involved, it’s possible everyone could be affected,” Eric said sagely, already going for a third cup of coffee. Wonwoo knew it was true. He didn’t want anything to happen to his current situation but he also didn’t want anything to happen to his friends.  
“People are such a hassle,” Wonwoo sighed, pushing his glasses up, staring out the large glass window that was almost the size of the wall.  
“You get used to it. Some people will be blessings and others will cause pain. You just have to remember you can only rely on yourself,” Eric stared out at the trees blowing their shedding leaves about.  
“I’m tired of it. People are so fake,” Wonwoo held his glasses up to the light.  
“Trust me, kid, I’ve been around 13 years longer than you. I’ve had my fair share of trash people. Now, let’s move out. We have to get to school soon or you’ll get dragged by your teachers,” Eric nudged Wonwoo. He knew damn well how infuriating the world was. Eric knew Wonwoo’s realizations were all significant on the path to success and maturity, but these realizations are what hurt people the most. Eric just didn’t want anything to happen to this boy who was like his brother. Correction: Jeon Wonwoo was his little brother and Eric had to do everything he could to protect him.

 

Family: Kim  
Father’s Occupation: Renowned photographer  
Mother’s Occupation: Actress  
Child(ren): Kim Jinwoo: 26 years old (Soon-to-be senior fashion designer at the Romantic Crown brand) and Kim Mingyu: 16 years old (Grade 11 at Seoul National Academy)

“Hello?” Mingyu grumbled into the phone as soon as he managed to pick up the incoming call.  
“Mingyu?” Jinwoo asked from the other side of the line.  
“Dude, it’s like ass o’clock. Why are you calling me?” Mingyu squinted at the numbers on his digital clock. It was actually 6:20 AM.  
“First of all, it’s not ass o’clock. I just left the design house. I heard mom and dad were leaving the country yet again. How long are they going to be gone this time?” Jinwoo’s angelic voice held a steely tone.  
“I don’t know. Mom is shooting a movie in Cuba for 1-2 months, I think. Dad’s booked with at least 20 different international magazines for the next month and a half. I’m on my own for at least 6 weeks,” Mingyu put the phone on speaker and put it next to his head on the pillow. He laid back down on his king sized bed.  
“Do you want to stay with me? My apartment is a 20 minute drive from the house anyways. The design house wouldn’t be that long a drive from the house too. Plus, we’ll be showcasing the winter collection soon, so things will slow down,” Jinwoo got out of his Porsche and walked through the parkade towards the elevator.  
“It’s okay, Jinwoo. You’re busy and have a social life,” Mingyu said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  
“No, Mingyu, just listen, I don’t think you should be alone for that long. I know you’re sixteen but you’re also a minor and you have photoshoots, runways, and CFs to prepare for. Trust me, you’ll be crazy busy in 10 days,” Jinwoo reminded Mingyu, pressing the elevator buttons to the penthouse.  
“I literally have Eunhyuk with me at all times. I’m not exactly in danger,” Mingyu reminded his tired older brother.  
“Wellllllll… Okay, fine, I will be checking in on you though,” Jinwoo collapsed onto his spacious black leather sofa. Mingyu laughed at the burdensome sigh that followed the falling sound.  
“Yeah, yeah, go to sleep. I need to get ready for school. I’m hanging up now,” Mingyu hauled himself out of the warm comforts of his bed and begun making his bed.  
“Mmhmm,” Jinwoo responded, the drowsiness practically droning out of the phone. Mingyu hung up on his 26 year old brother and pressed shuffle on DEAN’s artist playlist, connecting his phone to the mini bluetooth speaker. Eunhyuk knocked on the 16 year old’s door only to find him already awake and throwing his uniform onto his bed from the walk in closet.  
“You’re awake early,” Eunhyuk’s gummy smile made an appearance.  
“Oh yeah, man, just my anxiety and depression waking me at the wee hours of the morning,” Mingyu snorted, turning down the music a bit.  
“Wow, like, same. Well, my job for now is done. I’m going to attempt to make food and not kill you,” Eunhyuk shrugged and walked out with his phone in hand. Mingyu rolled his eyes. Eunhyuk was the only one from his friends’ group of caretakers who wasn’t 100% paranoid he was suicidal. Mingyu pulled on his shirt and did up the buttons. Only his $60 000 USD per year school would have Brooks Brothers design their uniforms. All of their shirts were pure cotton, their blazers were 100% wool, their pants were tailored to perfection, and their shoes were the finest quality of leather. Mingyu looked in the mirror and practiced poses for the photoshoot. His manager, Jinki, had texted him the day before telling him the theme of the shoot. His specific words were “Melancholy autumn day. Cold. Pitiful. So like, you after your exams. Good luck”. Mingyu sighed. Seungcheol was his senior in his school, however on set, Mingyu was Seungcheol’s senior. Mingyu had his first runway when he was 15 and Seungcheol’s first appearance was one month after Mingyu in a photoshoot for Céci. He and Seungcheol were pretty familiar with each other and went out for dinner together occasionally, but Seungcheol had never met his friends. He knew Jihoon and Seungcheol had one or two classes together, however they never talked. His phone dinged.  
Jinki: Don’t forget about the photoshoot  
Mingyu: Ye it’s with Seungcheol  
Jinki: Good  
Mingyu groaned. He was so tired. He was sure his Human Geo teacher was going to murder him if he has to tell her that he might have to miss the test date to walk in Off White’s show. His phone dinged again. It was just Eunhyuk telling him to come down for breakfast.  
“Eunhyuk, I want waffles,” Mingyu whined, putting his backpack down at the door leading from the hallway to the garage.  
“No,” was Eunhyuk’s only response. Mingyu sighed.  
“I know. I shouldn’t eat sweet stuff today or else my face will get too bloated,” Mingyu pouted, plopping down at the table. Eunhyuk scoffed.  
“I mean, yeah, that, and the fact that I already made your goddamn breakfast,” Eunhyuk laughed, rolling his eyes as Mingyu stabbed a fork in the sausage he had prepared.  
“I have Human Geo today and I’m pretty sure I’m going to -hah- kill myself,” Mingyu smiled fakely before taking a sip of milk. Eunhyuk nodded.  
“You said that since last year and you’re still here, soooo,” Eunhyuk raised his eyebrows, amused with the youngest Kim. Eunhyuk, Leeteuk, Kyuhyun, Baekho, Youngmin, and Aron spent the most time with their kids, as they both started around 14 years ago; so Eunhyuk was very used to Mingyu’s sense of humor and always knew when something was off. It’s how it had always been and how it will always continue to be in the small community of SNA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sister sneaky back at it


	3. Opus 2 - Part 1

The three Lee siblings walked in the automatic glass doors, their black luxury brand backpacks slung on one shoulder. Their mother had insisted on only the most famous brands for her sons, Louis Vuitton for Jihoon, Armani for Seokmin, and Fendi for Chan. Their lapels were heavily decorated with pins of various events and abilities. Everyone knew who they were and who they were friends with. Jihoon and Seokmin’s group had some of the most influential people in the entire grade, maybe even the school. These seven grade 11s had a hold on basically every single market in and out of Korea. Chan’s friends as well had the exact powers. They were known as the “royal court” of the school.  
“Morning,” Wonwoo’s glasses glinted in the morning sun as his friends gathered around him. Chan slipped away to the lower level towards the Grade 10 lockers to meet his friends.   
“Did you hand your paper in?” Jihoon asked as the hallway traffic heightened. Seokmin motioned with his head to move towards the Grade 11 lockers. Wonwoo nodded and stayed silent as they walked over, however as soon as there were less people, he lost it.  
“Seokmin, I’m losing my shit. Joohyun was there too and she handed it in after me. She was nice too. This is terrible. I don’t hate her, but I’m wary of her. I know she won’t do anything bad, but STILL,” Wonwoo sputtered out in panic, knocking his head against the lockers.  
“Yeah, Joohyun has won more competitions than you, but she’s also older. Also, she get published in different magazines and journals. You both write with different styles and targets. So you’re not at a disadvantage and neither is she,” Seokmin shrugged, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.   
“He’s got a point, you know,” Jihoon nodded, grabbing his text for Lit later that day.   
“I know, but, just… I want to win this one,” Wonwoo sighed, closing his eyes. Jihoon sighed and closed the rather large locker. (Jihoon can fit in it. They tried multiple times)  
“I know you do, Wonwoo. You always want to win. We all read it. Multiple times. Over fifty times probably. It’s a good paper. It’s out of your hands now. If the judges don’t think it was good enough, then that’s on them. Writing is so opinionated, anyways,” Jihoon put a hand on Wonwoo’s shoulder and attempted to console his taller friend.   
“Hi, I’m going to die,” Mingyu greeted his friends, before throwing his locker open, and flashing his trademark canine smile.   
“Yeah, what’s new, bro?” Seokmin made a sarcastic face and pushed Mingyu lightly.  
“I finished my Calc homework in the car. Do you think Mr Kang will notice the shaky writing?” Mingyu asked, leaning on Jihoon.   
“I mean… one time he made me erase all of my work because my equal signs weren’t long enough. Sooo,” Jihoon scoffed as Soonyoung walked towards them.   
“Good morning, honey,” Soonyoung blew a kiss to Seokmin, prompting an eye roll and a small smile in response.  
“Ugh, too early for this,” Jihoon shuddered with disgust.  
“Yeah, yeah, where’s Junhui? I need him to send me a copy of his law notes,” Soonyoung said, using Seokmin’s shoulder as an armrest.   
“Dunno. He’s probably already in class. I have chem with him first block. I can make him send them,” Jihoon shrugged, glancing at his phone for the time.   
“It’s 7:57, we should probably leave if we don’t want to get shanked,” Mingyu snorted.  
“I guess, well… bye, sisters,” Seokmin walked off, shooting them a playful look, while everyone else leaving for their respective classes. Jihoon had just entered their chemistry class when Junhui grabbed him by the collar and slammed him down in the seat next to him.  
“What the hell, Junhui?” Jihoon scolded, frowning, fixing his collar.  
“Jihoon. It’s happened. The worst thing possible has befallen Chemistry 12 Block A,” Junhui’s eyes were wild with fear and anger.  
“What? What? We have Ms Hu as a sub for the rest of the month?” Jihoon’s eyes widened and he could feel his heart race. Ms Hu was infamous for her shrill piercing voice and her inability to teach even 5 year olds.  
“Worse. I overheard Mr Nam talking with the other teachers. They’re giving us… assigned seating and assigned partners,” Junhui’s face was the image of pain and he started shaking Jihoon by the shoulders. Junhui gagged slightly.  
“Fuck. No. You gotta be kidding me, Chinese man. Tell me it’s a joke,” Jihoon grasped Junhui with shaky hands, like he was a life line.  
“I’m not fucking with you, bro. I heard them. It was so nice serving with you. Remember me as a hero,” Junhui’s eyes were laden with fake and genuine tears. Jihoon’s heart sank. Assigned partners meant death. It meant teacher given suicide.   
“Wait, we’re getting assigned seating?” Taehyung yelled from the other side of the room.  
“Yes. It’s over. I mean, you’re all great, but like, fuck,” Junhui announced to the entire class.   
“I refuse to accept this. Once again, you’re all great, but, why can’t we work with who we want to? You’re all train wrecks,” Doyoung’s hand was clutched at his chest.  
“Good morning, everyone,” Mr Nam walked in the class, prompting for everyone to take their seats as he called out attendance.  
“As I’m sure you’ve heard, you’re all receiving assigned seating,” Mr Nam told the class, already knowing their reactions. Painful groans reverberated around the classroom. Jihoon leaned over to Junhui.  
“I will jump out a window, Junhui, you know this,” Jihoon whispered sadly to the taller boy.  
“If you’re going, little man, take me with you,” Junhui nodded in reassurance. The nickname made Jihoon lightly slap Junhui on the arm.  
“Alright, I know you all want to work with who you want, so I’ll give you this. You can partner up with someone in your row. Now there will be 5 people per column and 4 people per row. Okay, I’ll project the seating arrangement now and move to it,” Mr Nam instructed the class, connecting his laptop to the Airplay. Junhui held Jihoon’s hand and prayed to all the gods and the universe. Jihoon was seated in front of Junhui on the left side of the class.   
“Okay, okay, not bad, not bad. We can still talk. We can’t be partners, but, hey, I’ll just die, it’s fine,” Junhui muttered, trying to reassure himself. Jihoon wished he could reprimand Junhui for being such a drama queen, but he understood. They quickly moved to their seats and settled down. Jihoon looked to his right and seated next to him was their school’s student body president, Mingyu’s co-worker and friend, Choi Seungcheol.   
“Hey,” Seungcheol gave a small dimpled smile to the younger boy, obvious charisma exuding the elder.  
“Good morning,” Jihoon gave a small bow to his elder.   
“I know we’re not close, but would you mind being partners for the year? I don’t really think there are any other partners left, ‘cause Doyoung already paired with Taeil and Jongin with Jennie,” Seungcheol asked politely, but not shyly. Jihoon didn’t mind this, as it followed Mr Nam’s guidelines and Seungcheol was smart. Plus, they were both on student council together and their brothers were best friends.   
“Sure,” Jihoon looked the elder straight in the eye.   
“Let’s work well together,” the younger’s hardened eyes never left the elder’s as he held a hand out for Seungcheol to shake.   
“Yes,” Seungcheol smiled in amusement, shaking the extended hand firmly.   
“Jihoon, Jihoon, Jihoon,” Junhui broke Jihoon’s attention away from the elder, poking him with each word.   
“I’m partners with Sicheng. I’m going to pass Chem. God is real,” Junhui’s eyes filled with dramatic tears.   
“Oh get over yourself, you place in the same honour roll category as me every single year, shut up,” Jihoon flicked Junhui’s forehead before stifling a small laugh.   
“Alright, I’m sure you’re all settled now. Open your laptops and take notes. We’re starting the new section,” Mr Nam turned on the presentation. Seungcheol smirked to himself. The way Jihoon’s eyes turned to ice when their eyes met always amused Seungcheol. Never in his entire life had someone been this straightforward and almost cold with him. He was used to people walking on eggshells around him. Seungcheol wasn’t spoiled, he was just known for being a kid who was too rich for his own good. He was the kind of person who got what he wanted, but knew his boundaries. He shook his head. The elder knew this would be one hell of a year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the whole kai x jennie thing surprised me but like if sister kai is happy with her and vice versa there's no point in being crusty about it. i still wish exo l's didn't tear apart taeyeon for dating baekhyun but let's see if dispatch spills more of the tea


End file.
